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E3 2014: Gaming for everyone

Rumour and hype dominated the run-up to this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. For once, writes RACHEAL DANE, some of it turned out to be true.

Gaming enthusiasts were treated to a heavy dose of overwhelming news, trailers and demos by all the major names in the video gaming industry at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. For once, it turned out that some of the hype and rumours going around before the show were actually true, much to the glee of fans who had been keeping their fingers crossed and optimism in check.

Although the latest edition of E3 turned out to be game-heavy, unlike the previous year, which featured Sony’s and Microsoft’s long-awaited next-generation hardware, it did not send the fans home disappointed.

Sony and Microsoft

It was pretty obvious that Sony and Microsoft would show up at Los Angeles Convention Center with their guns fully loaded in a bid to outperform their rivals. Wasting no time to get down to business, both giants pitched exciting news and trailer after another at the fans.

Microsoft mainly remained focused on the upcoming titles for Xbox One, bringing up names like The Master Chief Collection, Halo 5: Guardians, and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Sony, on the other hand, showed up with much more than games in its arsenal. It announced and showing off plenty titles, including the title and trailer of the newest and quite possibly final Uncharted game, and LittleBigPlanet 3. It also announced a white PlayStation 4, which will be bundled with the game Destiny, and more news on the hardware front, with the revelation of PlayStation TV for the North American and European regions.

Sony had appeared quite confident prior to this year’s E3 and, with its strong showing during the course of the event, the reason became pretty evident. Microsoft’s E3 showing was not too shabby either, but it clearly has some catching up to do.

Nintendo not down for the count

Absent on the press conference day at E3, Nintendo eventually took the stage on day two to make a short and simple presentation. Was it effective? Definitely!

Despite being written off by many industry players and the media, the company made its intention to bounce back strongly quite evident. Bringing news, trailers and demos of a handful of its upcoming releases, including Mario Maker, Splatoon, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Super Smash Bros Wii U, Nintendo gave its loyal fans plenty to get excited about.

The best moment, however, was the announcement of The Legend of Zelda, slated for a release in 2015. A trailer of the game left no doubt that it is going to be a visual treat, while the open-world, non-linear gameplay promised the freedom that the Final Fantasy franchise has failed to deliver for so long.

Another major announcement by the company was that of Star Fox, which is confirmed to be in the works, though it is expected to make its showing at next year’s E3. Nintendo also announced Amiibo, the concept which is clearly inspired by Disney’s Skylanders. After a successful E3 showing, it seems highly likely that Nintendo will soon make its way uphill.

Steam Machine steps out of the shadows

We’ve heard plenty about Steam Machines but, thanks to Alienware, this year’s E3 featured an actual prototype of the highly-anticipated gaming console. Named Alienware Alpha, it was still not a final build, though it ran games and thus gave a pretty good idea of what the Steam Box would be capable. For gamers who want to enjoy the huge collection of PC games, including DotA and League of Legends, but without the fuss of an actual computer, this may be the simple and compact hardware solution they’ve been seeking.

Third-party developers put up strong Show

Third-party developers were expected to play a strong role in this year’s E3, and they didn’t disappoint either. Ubisoft arrived with the latest news on Assassin’s Creed: Unity, and Rainbow Six: Siege, along with a Far Cry 4 gameplay demo. EA, on the other hand, made announcements regarding Battlefield: Hardline, gave a glimpse of Star Wars: Battlefront gameplay, and confirmed that Mass Effect 4 is in the making.

Some of the other titles that made an appearance at this year’s expo included Mortal Kombat X, Batman: Arkham Knight, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Shadow of Mordor, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The latest edition of E3 had something for everyone, irrespective of their gaming and console preferences. Most importantly, it gave gamers a pretty solid reason to invest in the next-generation console if they hadn’t done so already, considering the number of blockbuster titles in the pipeline.